Hazardous wastes, such as chemical waste, biological waste, and/or radiological waste, are frequently stored in metal drums having a sealed lid. Typically, the lid has an annular recess that receives the upper edge of the drum and a ring is used to seal the lid to the drum. It is often necessary to remove the seal-ring and the lid for various reasons that can include adding additional waste or transferring the waste therein to another container. It is well known in the art that pressure can build up in the drum over time. Often this pressure can cause the sides of the drum to bulge, providing a ready indication of the pressure therein. However, frequently no outward sign of internal pressure is present. This pressure can present an extreme hazard to hazardous waste personnel that are manipulating the drums. For instance, the internal pressure is often sufficient to explosively propel the lid of the drum during opening of the drum. Unrestrained, the lid becomes a projectile, thus exposing nearby workers to potentially catastrophic injury.
Numerous methods of retaining various types of lid and covers can be found in the art. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 2,493,225 issued to Cassidy on Jan. 3, 1950, for a device useful for sealing the lid on a glass canning jar. U.S. Pat. No. 2,984,511 issued to Hedrick on May 16, 1961, for a trash can cover lock which has a pair of extensible, resilient and flexible arms that are adapted to be connected to the receptacle handles and extend over the top of the lid, holding it firmly in place but enabling the owner to release the locking device when it is desired to access the receptacle. U.S. Pat. No. 3,140,79 which issued to Griffith, et al. Jul. 14, 1964, discloses a further retainer for a trash can lid that utilizes a coiled spring to secure the lid on the container. U.S. Pat. No. 4,095,830 issued to Spellman on Jun. 20, 1978 and discloses a T-shaped hold down device for securing the cover of a container and also maintains the container in an upright position. Spellman's hold down device comprises a resilient one-piece tension strap. U.S. Pat. No. 4,413,851, which issued to Ritter on Nov. 8, 1983, discloses an adjustable strap for holding the lid of a trash can, or similar receptacle, in a closed position.
What has been missing from the art is a universal fit web device that can be secured to a waste drum in such a manner as to provide a secure volume in which to raise the lid of the drum and that will retain the lid in the event that the lid is accelerated off of the drum by internal pressures. Additionally, what has been missing from the art is an elongated lever adapted to allow an operator to slowly pry the lip upwards so as to vent any internal pressure while the operator stands a safe distance away from the drum.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a safety web for retaining the lid of a waste drum within a secured volume thus preventing the lid from being explosively propelled off of the drum during opening of the drum.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a safety web for a waste drum that provides substantially universal fit and can be adjusted in size to be used on variety of different capacity drums.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a web device that can be secured to a waste drum in such a manner as to provide a secure volume in which to raise the lid of the drum and that will retain the lid within the secure volume in the event that the lid is accelerated off of the drum by internal pressures.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an elongated lever adapted to be used in conjunction with the safety web and that is adapted to allow an operator to slowly pry the lip upwards so as to vent any internal pressure away from the operator while the operator stands a safe distance away from the drum.
Other objects and advantages over the prior art will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the detailed description together with the drawings as described as follows.